[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 129 (Tuesday, July 7, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 36614-36618]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17937]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 980501115-8160-02; I.D. 032498A]
RIN 0648-AK86


Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Compensation for Collecting Resource 
Information

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Emergency rule.

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SUMMARY: This action, authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), implements provisions by 
which a vessel owner or operator who has collected resource information 
according to a NMFS-approved protocol may be compensated with the 
opportunity to harvest fish in excess of current vessel limits and/or 
outside other restrictions. This action is intended to improve the 
types and amounts of scientific information available for use in stock 
assessments and management of the Pacific coast groundfish fishery. 
This action must be implemented under the Magnuson-Stevens Act 
emergency rulemaking authority so that NMFS may contract with 
commercial fishing vessels to conduct resource surveys during the 
summer of 1998. The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
considering an amendment to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery 
Management Plan (PCGFMP) that would continue this compensation 
initiative beyond 1998.

DATES: Effective July 1, 1998 through January 4, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to William Stelle, Jr., Administrator, 
Northwest Region, (Regional Administrator) NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way 
NE., Seattle, WA 98115; or William T. Hogarth, Administrator, Southwest 
Region, (Regional Administrator) NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213. Copies of the

[[Page 36615]]

environmental assessment/regulatory impact review are also available 
from that address. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any 
other aspect of the collection-of-information requirements in this 
emergency rule, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to one 
of the NMFS addresses and to the Office on Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Washington, DC 20503 
(ATTN: NOAA Desk Officer).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine A. King at 206-526-6140.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is implementing an emergency rule to 
allow owners or operators of vessels that collect resource information 
to be compensated with the opportunity to harvest fish in excess of 
current vessel limits and/or outside other restrictions [hereinafter 
``compensated with fish'']. The Council recommended this action at its 
November 1997 meeting in Portland, OR, with the intent that NMFS 
proceed with this rule immediately so that NMFS may so contract with 
commercial fishing vessels to conduct resource surveys during the 
summer of 1998.
    A proposed rule was published on May 15, 1998 (at 63 FR 27035), 
requesting public comments through June 5, 1998. One comment was 
received, which resulted in no change to the final rule, and NMFS made 
one clarification regarding accounting for fish used as compensation. 
The final rule is substantively the same as proposed. See the preamble 
to the proposed rule for additional background information.

Background

    On October 11, 1996, the Magnuson-Stevens Act was amended to 
authorize the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to use the private 
sector to provide vessels, equipment, and services necessary to survey 
fishery resources and to pay for these surveys through the sale of fish 
taken during the survey or, if the quality or amount of fish is not 
adequate, on a subsequent commercial fishing trip (sec. 402(e)). 
Section 303(b)(11) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act enables the Secretary to 
``reserve a portion of the allowable biological catch of the fishery 
for use in scientific research.'' A vessel that is chartered by NMFS to 
conduct resource surveys becomes a ``scientific research vessel'' as 
defined at 50 CFR 600.10, and it must not conduct commercial fishing on 
the same trip during which a resource survey is conducted.
    These provisions must be in place by early July 1998 in order to 
include compensation with fish as a component of contracts NMFS will 
award to commercial fishing vessels to conduct resource surveys during 
the summer of 1998. Stock assessments for the Dover sole/thornyhead/
trawl-caught sablefish complex are controversial and have resulted in 
serious concern over the amount and accuracy of survey data. NMFS is 
committed to addressing these concerns. However, Federal fiscal 
constraints have precluded gathering the information needed. This is 
further compounded by the unavailability of the NOAA ship Miller 
Freeman, the principle vessel used for conducting resource surveys in 
this fishery, during much of 1998. Implementation of these provisions 
would enable NMFS to expand sampling in the annual slope survey that 
provides data for the stock assessments for these and other groundfish 
species. There is inadequate time to amend the PCGFMP to provide for 
using fish as compensation (and subtracting the compensation fish from 
acceptable biological catch (ABC)) before the slope survey is scheduled 
to begin in August 1998. Therefore, NMFS is implementing this rule 
under the Secretary's emergency rulemaking authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act so that these provisions may be implemented in time to 
support the 1998 slope survey. The Council is preparing an amendment to 
the PCGFMP for later implementation.

Compensation for a Vessel Conducting a Resource Survey

    The Magnuson-Stevens Act authorizes the Secretary, in consultation 
with the Council and the fishing industry, to structure competitive 
solicitations by which a vessel's owner or operator may compete for a 
contract with NMFS to conduct a resource survey. Resource surveys 
generally are conducted from chartered fishing vessels, chartered 
university vessels, and dedicated NOAA vessels. In a resource survey, 
all samples (fish) are collected according to a specified research plan 
or protocol. NMFS distinguishes survey activities by a scientific 
research vessel from commercial fishing activities according to a 
process of acknowledging scientific research described at 50 CFR 
600.745(a). NMFS frequently uses this mechanism to conduct surveys from 
chartered fishing vessels, and, in some cases, some of the sample has 
been retained by the vessel owner/operator for sale to reduce waste and 
to defray some of the costs of the charter. However, any additional 
harvest taken on a subsequent commercial trip as payment for the 
resource survey would not be considered scientific research. This 
additional harvest was not authorized under the old provisions of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act.
    The new provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act provide the 
authority to go beyond allowing the retention and sale of fish caught 
during the course of a resource survey by providing compensation 
through the opportunity to harvest fish in excess of current vessel 
limits and/or outside of other restrictions. This rule authorizes such 
``compensation fishing'' through the issuance of an exempted fishing 
permit (EFP) in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery, which would 
enable the vessel to exceed trip limits (and/or to be exempt from other 
specified management restrictions) so that the compensation amount 
could be achieved. The compensation EFP would include terms and 
conditions that would limit the authorized activities. Conditions for 
disposition of bycatch or any excess catch and for reporting the value 
of the amount landed and other appropriate terms and conditions would 
be specified in the EFP. If the PCGFMP is amended, it is anticipated 
that compensation fishing would occur no later than the end of 
September of the year after the survey occurred. Compensation fishing 
must take place during the period specified in the EFP and must be 
conducted according to the terms and conditions of the EFP. The 
compensation EFP may also require the vessel owner or operator to keep 
separate records of compensation fishing conducted after the survey is 
completed and to submit them to NMFS within a specified period of time 
after the compensation fishing is completed.

Process

    The process incorporates selection of commercial vessels to be used 
to conduct the resource surveys, issuance of compensation EFPs to 
provide for compensation with fish, and adjustment of the ABC to 
account for the compensation fish used.

Competitive Offers

    NMFS may initiate a competitive solicitation, i.e., request for 
proposals (RFP), to select vessels to conduct resource surveys that use 
fish as full or partial compensation. The RFP would be publicized in 
the Commerce Business Daily and would specify the factors that NMFS 
would use in evaluating the proposals. Vessel owners would be expected 
to submit offers to conduct the resource survey for a combination of 
dollars and compensation fish.

[[Page 36616]]

Council Consultation and Approval

    At a Council meeting, NMFS would consult with the Council and 
receive public comment on upcoming resource surveys to be conducted 
with groundfish used as whole or partial compensation. For each 
proposal, NMFS would present (1) the maximum number of vessels expected 
or needed to conduct the survey, (2) an estimate of the species and 
amount of fish likely to be needed to compensate the vessel, (3) the 
time frame in which the survey and the compensation fish would be 
taken, and (4) the year in which the compensation fish would be 
deducted from the ABC before determining the harvest guideline (HG) or 
quota. This is, in effect, equivalent to NMFS presenting a compensation 
EFP application to the Council for the compensation amounts. In 
general, compensation fish should be similar to surveyed species, but 
there may be reasons to provide compensation with healthier, more 
abundant, less restricted, or more easily targeted species. For 
example, NMFS may decline to pay a vessel with species that are, or are 
expected to be, overfished, that are subject to overfishing, or that 
are unavoidably caught with species that are overfished or subject to 
overfishing. NMFS may also want to take into account other factors such 
as expected discards and incidental catches of other species. If the 
Council does not approve the proposal to use fish as compensation to 
pay for a resource survey, NMFS will not use fish, other than fish 
taken during the scientific research, as compensation for that survey.

Awarding the Contract

    NMFS would negotiate and award the resource survey contracts in 
accordance with normal Federal procurement procedures. The contract 
would include any conditions and limits on compensation fishing, 
including a requirement for the vessel to have on board (1) a letter of 
acknowledgment of research signed by the Regional Administrator or 
designee, while conducting any resource survey, and (2) the 
compensation EFP while conducting compensation fishing and for a period 
of at least 15 days after the end of any applicable cumulative trip 
limit period in which compensation fishing occurred.

Retention of Samples

    All fishing on a resource survey trip would be required to be 
conducted according to scientific protocol and would be considered 
scientific research. However, the owner or operator of the vessel could 
retain and sell some fish caught while conducting the survey as 
compensation for the vessel's participation. Retention of samples for 
sale would be at the discretion of the chief scientist on board, who 
would consult with the vessel captain. Collection of scientific 
information and samples would be the highest priority and might 
interfere with the vessel's ability to retain market-quality fish.

Issuance of the Compensation EFP

    Upon successful completion of the resource survey and of the 
determination concerning the amount and/or value of the survey sample 
that was retained for sale as payment for conducting the survey, NMFS 
would issue a compensation EFP to the owner or operator of the vessel 
if full compensation has not been achieved by cash payment and 
retention of the survey sample. The compensation EFP would allow the 
vessel an opportunity to exceed the current commercial fishing limits 
by the total amount of compensation fish needed. The amount of 
compensation fish needed is the amount of fish specified in the 
contract less the amount and/or value of the survey sample retained for 
sale. The compensation EFP also could exempt the vessel from other 
specified management measures.

Accounting for Compensation Fish

    Because the species and amounts of fish used as compensation would 
not be determined until the contract is awarded, it may not be possible 
to deduct the amount of compensation fish from the ABC or HG in the 
year that the fish are caught. Even if this could be done, it would 
cause great confusion with the many allocations and limits that were 
set before the compensation amounts were known. Therefore, the 
compensation fish will be deducted from the ABC the year after they are 
caught. During the annual specification process (50 CFR 660.321(b)), 
NMFS would advise the Council of the total amount of fish caught during 
the year as compensation for conducting a resource survey, which then 
would be deducted from the following year's ABCs before setting the HGs 
or quotas. (If compensation fish are taken too late in the year so that 
landings data are not available to be deducted from the next year's 
ABC, it will be deducted in the next management cycle practicable.)

Compensation for a Commercial Vessel Collecting Resource 
Information--an EFP With a Compensation Clause

    NMFS also intends to conduct smaller scale cooperative projects on 
vessels that are operating in the commercial fishery. This type of 
activity would not be considered scientific research under 50 CFR 
600.745(a) because it would not be conducted by a scientific research 
vessel, even though the vessels would be collecting resource 
information according to strict scientific standards approved by NMFS. 
For small-scale cooperative projects, NMFS could issue EFPs to fishing 
vessels collecting the resource information. The EFP would require the 
vessel to conduct specific activities and allow it to retain and sell a 
limited amount of fish above the amount it could take under its regular 
trip limit. After the resource information has been obtained, the EFP 
could authorize the vessel to sell the fish that were in the sample. 
This would be a standard EFP, issued under the procedures at 50 CFR 
600.745(b). Fish caught under this EFP would be counted against the 
ABCs and HGs or quotas in the year they are caught.
    In some circumstances, NMFS might want to allow the vessel to 
harvest slightly more fish than necessary for the particular project. 
For the sablefish depth-specific sampling EFP expected in 1998, a 
vessel would be able to retain the sample plus a modest compensation 
amount, no larger than the size of the sample, above its normal trip 
limits. Samples in these cases generally would be expected to involve 
less than 500-1,500 lb (227-680 kg) of fish per vessel per month. The 
extra fish would compensate the vessel for the extra work involved in 
collecting the samples, encourage vessels to participate in surveys, 
and utilize more of the fish taken during the surveys that are surplus 
to sampling needs. NMFS could propose the amount of fish that would be 
used as compensation, or the EFP applicant could propose an amount in 
the EFP application. In these cases, when NMFS announces receipt of the 
EFP application and requests comments as required under 50 CFR 
600.745(b), NMFS also announces a window period during which vessels 
would have an opportunity to submit EFP applications. NMFS contemplates 
two ways of issuing such EFPs: First, the EFPs could be issued to 
individuals implementing a protocol approved by NMFS. NMFS would 
consider the qualified applicants, issue EFPs to all of them, select 
participation by lottery, issue EFPs to the first applicants, or use 
other impartial selection methods. Second, NMFS could issue the EFP to 
a NMFS element or to a state or other Federal research agency, and the 
research agency's proposal would include an impartial way of selecting 
fishing vessel

[[Page 36617]]

participants that would receive individual EFPs under the umbrella EFP 
held by the research agency.

Biological and Socio-economic Impacts

    The biological impacts of using fish as compensation are expected 
to be neutral in the short term and positive in the long term. In the 
short term, the amount of fish used as compensation will be within the 
ABC, and ,therefore, within current acceptable biological levels. In 
the long term, the additional information that is gathered because NMFS 
is able to compensate vessels with fish will provide more and better 
data for use in stock assessments, resulting in better management of 
the stock and less likelihood of overfishing. This should lead to 
better stock assessments and to a better long-term prognosis for a 
sustainable fishery, contributing to stability in the fishing industry 
and in the resources upon which the industry depends. A more detailed 
discussion is found in the preamble to the proposed rule and the 
environmental assessment for this action.

Comment and Response

    One comment was received during the public comment period. It was 
supportive of the rule but requested a broader distribution of the RFP 
soliciting charter vessels to conduct resource surveys. NMFS agrees 
that a wide distribution is a good idea and will attempt to do so. In 
fact, notification of the RFP for the 1998 slope survey was submitted 
to each holder of a limited entry trawl permit for the groundfish 
fishery off Washington, Oregon, and California. However, distribution 
of the RFP is part of the Federal procurement process and is not 
governed by this rule; a description was included in the preamble of 
the proposed rule as background information. Therefore, no change is 
made to this rule.

Clarification

    NMFS has changed the rule slightly to clarify that compensation 
fish caught too late in 1998 to be counted against the 1999 ABC may be 
deducted in the next management cycle practicable, e.g., 2000. Other 
minor editorial changes have been made for clarity and to meet 
publication format requirements.

Classification

    The Assistant Administrator (AA) finds that the need to implement 
these measures in a timely manner so that vessels collecting resource 
information may be compensated with fish constitutes good cause under 
authority contained in 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in 
effective date. If the rule was not made effective for 30 days, NMFS 
would be unable to issue fish compensation contracts in a timely manner 
to vessels needed to conduct the August 1998 slope survey. This would 
be contrary to the public interest because sufficient funds are not 
available to compensate all of the vessels needed to conduct an 
adequate survey. The result would be a reduced survey with less data to 
determine the status of the resource. Also, it is unnecessary to delay 
the rule because the survey does not directly affect the activities of 
the 1998 fishery and there are no compliance requirements for 
participants in the survey.
    This emergency rule has been determined to be not significant for 
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
    The Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulation of the 
Department of Commerce certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of 
the Small Business Administration that this rule would not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
No comments were received regarding this certification. As a result, a 
regulatory flexibility analysis was not prepared.
    This emergency rule contains a collection-of-information 
requirement subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to 
respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to 
comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of 
the PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently 
valid OMB control number. The collection of this information has been 
approved by the Office of Management and Budget, under OMB control 
number 0648-0203 for Federal fishing permits. The public reporting 
burden for applications for exempted fishery permits is estimated at 1 
hour per response; burden for reporting by exempted fishing permittees 
is estimated at 30 minutes per response. These estimates include the 
time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, 
gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and revising 
the collection of information. Send comments regarding these burden 
estimates or any other aspect of the data requirements, including 
suggestions for reducing the burden, to NMFS (see ADDRESSES) and to the 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503 (ATTN: NOAA Desk Officer).

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 660

    Administrative practice and procedure, American Samoa, Fisheries, 
Fishing, Guam, Hawaiian Natives, Indians, Northern Mariana Islands, 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    Dated: June 30, 1998.
David L. Evans,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
    For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 660 is amended 
as follows:

PART 660--FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES AND IN THE WESTERN 
PACIFIC

    l. The authority citation for part 660 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    2. In Sec. 660.306, paragraph (y) is added to read as follows:




Sec. 660.306  Prohibitions.

* * * * *
    (y) Fish for groundfish in violation of any terms or conditions 
attached to an EFP under Sec. 660.350.
    3. In part 660, subpart G, a new Sec. 660.350 is added to read as 
follows:


Sec. 660.350  Compensation with fish for collecting resource 
information--exempted fishing permits off Washington, Oregon, and 
California.

    In addition to the reasons stated in Sec. 600.745(b)(1) of this 
chapter, an EFP may be issued under this subpart G for the purpose of 
compensating the owner or operator of a vessel for collecting resource 
information according to a protocol approved by NMFS. The EFP would 
allow a vessel to retain fish as compensation in excess of trip limits, 
or to be exempt from other specified management measures for the 
Pacific coast groundfish fishery.
    (a) Compensation EFP. A compensation EFP may be issued to the owner 
or operator of a vessel that conducted a resource survey according to a 
contract with NMFS. A vessel's total compensation from all sources (in 
terms of dollars or amount of fish and including fish from survey 
samples or compensation fish) will be determined through normal Federal 
procurement procedures. The compensation EFP will specify the maximum 
amount or value of fish that may be retained by the vessel after the 
resource survey is completed.
    (1) Competitive offers. NMFS may initiate a competitive 
solicitation (request for proposals or RFP) to select

[[Page 36618]]

vessels to conduct resource surveys that use fish as full or partial 
compensation, following normal Federal procurement procedures.
     (2) Consultation and approval. At a Council meeting, NMFS will 
consult with the Council and receive public comment on upcoming 
resource surveys to be conducted if groundfish could be used as whole 
or partial compensation. Generally, compensation fish would be similar 
to surveyed species, but there may be reasons to provide payment with 
healthier, more abundant, less restricted stocks, or more easily 
targeted species. For example, NMFS may decline to pay a vessel with 
species that are, or are expected to be, overfished, or that are 
subject to overfishing, or that are unavoidably caught with species 
that are overfished or subject to overfishing. NMFS also may also 
consider levels of discards, bycatch, and other factors. If the Council 
does not approve providing whole or partial compensation for the 
conduct of a survey, NMFS will not use fish, other than fish taken 
during the scientific research, as compensation for that survey. For 
each proposal, NMFS will present:
    (i) The maximum number of vessels expected or needed to conduct the 
survey,
    (ii) An estimate of the species and amount of fish likely to be 
needed as compensation,
    (iii) When the survey and compensation fish would be taken, and
    (iv) The year in which the compensation fish would be deducted from 
the ABC before determining the harvest guideline or quota.
    (3) Issuance of the compensation EFP. Upon successful completion of 
the survey, NMFS will issue a ``compensation EFP'' to the vessel if it 
has not been fully compensated. The procedures in Sec. 600.745(b)(1) 
through (b)(4) of this chapter do not apply to a compensation EFP 
issued under this subpart for the Pacific coast groundfish fishery (50 
CFR part 660, subpart G).
    (4) Terms and conditions of the compensation EFP. Conditions for 
disposition of bycatch or any excess catch, for reporting the value of 
the amount landed, and other appropriate terms and conditions will be 
specified in the EFP. Compensation fishing must occur during the period 
specified in the EFP, but no later than the end of September of the 
fishing year following the survey, and must be conducted according to 
the terms and conditions of the EFP.
    (5) Reporting the compensation catch. The compensation EFP may 
require the vessel owner or operator to keep separate records of 
compensation fishing and to submit them to NMFS within a specified 
period of time after the compensation fishing is completed.
    (6) Accounting for the compensation fish. As part of the annual 
specification process (Sec. 660.321), NMFS will advise the Council of 
the amount of fish retained under a compensation EFP, which then will 
be deducted from the next year's ABCs before setting the HGs or quotas. 
Fish taken too late in the year to be deducted from the following 
year's ABC will be accounted for in the next management cycle 
practicable.
    (b) EFP with a compensation clause. An EFP may be issued to a 
commercial fishing vessel for the purpose of collecting resource 
information in excess of current management limits (Sec. 600.745(b) of 
this chapter). The EFP may include a compensation clause that allows 
the participating vessel to be compensated with fish for its efforts to 
collect resource information according to NMFS' approved protocol. If 
compensation with fish is requested in an EFP application, or proposed 
by NMFS, the following provisions apply in addition to those at 
Sec. 600.745(b) of this chapter.
    (1) Application. In addition to the requirements in Sec. 600.745(b) 
of this chapter, application for an EFP with a compensation clause must 
clearly state whether a vessel's participation is contingent upon 
compensation with groundfish and, if so, the minimum amount (in metric 
tons, round weight) and the species. As with other EFPs issued under 
Sec. 600.745 of this chapter, the application may be submitted by any 
individual, including a state fishery management agency or other 
research institution.
    (2) Denial. In addition to the reasons stated in 
Sec. 600.745(b)(3)(iii) of this chapter, the application will be denied 
if the requested compensation fishery, species, or amount is 
unacceptable for reasons such as, but not limited to, the following: 
NMFS concludes the value of the resource information is not 
commensurate with the value of the compensation fish; the proposed 
compensation involves species that are (or are expected to be) 
overfished or subject to overfishing, fishing in times or areas where 
fishing is otherwise prohibited or severely restricted, or fishing for 
species that would involve unavoidable bycatch of species that are 
overfished or subject to overfishing; or NMFS concludes the information 
can reasonably be obtained at less cost to the resource.
    (3) Window period for other applications. If the RA or designee 
agrees that compensation should be considered, then a window period 
will be announced in the Federal Register during which additional 
participants will have an opportunity to apply. This notification would 
be made at the same time as announcement of receipt of the application 
and request for comments required under Sec. 660.745(b). If there are 
more qualified applicants than needed for a particular time and area, 
NMFS will choose among the qualified vessels, either randomly, in order 
of receipt of the completed application, or by other impartial 
selection methods. If the permit applicant is a state, university, or 
Federal entity other than NMFS and NMFS approves the selection method, 
the permit applicant may chose among the qualified vessels, either 
randomly, in order of receipt of the vessel application, or by other 
impartial selection methods.
    (4) Terms and conditions. The EFP will specify the amounts that may 
be taken as scientific samples and as compensation, the time period 
during which the compensation fishing must occur, management measures 
that are waived while fishing under the EFP, and other terms and 
conditions appropriate to the fishery and the collection of resource 
information. NMFS may require compensation fishing to occur on the same 
trip that the resource information is collected.
    (5) Accounting for the catch. Samples taken under this EFP, as well 
as any compensation fish, are counted toward the current year's catch 
or landings.
[FR Doc. 98-17937 Filed 7-1-98; 3:32 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F